The Dodgers could be at their best in September

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We have officially started September baseball, which is one step away from October baseball. Little fun fact for all you baseball fans out there. There are plenty of exciting playoff races heading toward the end of the season, and one of the more exciting is in the National League West. There’s not a ton of drama in the race, as whichever of the Giants or Dodgers loses the division will almost certainly take one of the Wild Card spots. However, the fact that the two are archrivals adds a fun spark. Against all odds, Los Angeles currently leads San Francisco despite losing approximately 80 percent of their organization to injury this year.

The scary part for Giants fans, and all other fans of National League contenders, is that LA could be re-tooling to make sure they play their best ball of the year in September. The Dodgers’ biggest issue this year has been the health of their pitchers, as they’ve rotated through a whopping 14 different starters. Things are starting to look up, though. Midseason acquisition Rich Hill has already returned, though he has another blister issue that could keep him out again. Clayton Kershaw is making a rehab start today and should return before the year is out; getting back the best pitcher in baseball should probably help. Finally, it was just announced on Friday that Jose De Leon, one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, would be called up for his debut on Sunday. De Leon may not be long for the team’s rotation, but a strong showing could make him an asset out of the bullpen in the postseason.

On the offensive side of things, the team has also gotten Yasiel Puig back into their lineup. Obviously, the outfielder’s absence was not due to injury, but rather due to a demotion following underperformance and some clubhouse issues. Still, the talent is undeniable, and there aren’t many playoff contenders that can inject this kind of spark into a lineup. At the same time, the Dodgers have enough depth at the position that Puig can’t hurt them too much if he doesn’t play to his potential. The National League is still the Cubs’ to lose, and the Nationals are still outstanding, but both clubs have to be scared to face a Dodgers team that’s finally reaching full strength.